


Apple Pie & Other Sweet Things

by Kiyomice



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, POV Third Person, Sad Backstories, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-27
Updated: 2019-06-27
Packaged: 2020-05-20 13:15:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19377463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiyomice/pseuds/Kiyomice
Summary: It's only been a few weeks since the long war has come to an official end. Things are still hectic and everyone is getting accustomed to the change, but overall, things are good. Really good. So this is the perfect time for Seonghwa and Yeosang to finally admit their feelings to each other... right?





	Apple Pie & Other Sweet Things

It was sunny outside. Summer had just arrived, and the heat had already began to consume the town. Hurried bodies hustled back and forth in sweat. Everyone was busy, and the heat felt unbearable. But it was wonderful. The town hadn't felt this alive in... well, ever. It was the first summer they'd had where the general mood in the air was a good one. There had been some good times in the past, sure, but there had always remained that feeling of uncertainty and fear. That feeling where everyone was tense and worried about their safety and the safety of their loved ones. But not anymore. The long war was over now. There had been many lives lost, and people were still grieving, but those who remained alive were safe now. Instead of fear, the town was now filled with bliss. 

Seonghwa found himself smiling as he thought about where he was. He was in the same town where he'd spent his entire life growing up in. But somehow, it felt like an entirely new place. He could hardly believe that he was heading down to the market to get apples. For an _apple pie_. it'd be years since he'd last made one. And certainly, he hadn't felt this free the last time he made one. He'd probably _never_ felt this free before, actually. 

After picking out a few apples that looked nice, he handed the money over to the stall keeper. He noted the smile on the stall keeper's face, and thought to himself, that perhaps is the first he's seen him smile. After getting his change, he thanked the man and turned to start walking back home. 

A few paces up the street, he caught sight of a familiar head turned away. _Yeosang_. It'd been nearly two weeks since he'd last seen him. Far too long when they were used to seeing each other every day. He was standing under the shade of a stall where an elderly man was selling rice to other customers. Seonghwa quickened his pace and came over to the stall. He lightly tapped on Yeosang's shoulder to get his attention. 

Yeosang turned around, a grin blossoming on his face as he recognized his closest friend. "Oh, hey! What are you doing here?"

Seonghwa lifted up the bag of apples. "I'm making an apple pie. Since everything's calmed down now, I figured I should try doing some things I haven't done in a long time."

Yeosang nodded. "That's a great idea. I remember when you and your mom made one when we were kids. It's been a while." 

"Yeah. I remember that. I haven't done it much baking since she passed away, and I've missed it. But now is a great time to start again. Do you want to come over and bake it with me?"

Yeosang hit his arm. "Do you even have to ask? Of course I want to. And I'll even carry your bag." 

Without giving Seonghwa a chance to protest, he grabbed the bag from his hands and started walking off. Seonghwa rolled his eyes and followed after his best friend. 

∞

At Seonghwa's place, Yeosang set the bag of apples down on the kitchen counter. 

"There. I've done my part of the baking. The rest is up to you." 

Seonghwa scoffed. "I knew you wouldn't actually help me." 

Yeosang faked a surprised reaction. "I _did_ help you. I carried the bag here and I even put it on the counter!" 

"Yeah, yeah. Thank you  _so much_  for your help." 

"Anything for you." 

Seonghwa rolled his eyes, but smiled. He quickly pushed Yeosang out of his way and started taking the apples out of the bag. Yeosang stood aside, eyeing him lazily. He watched as Seonghwa went through the process of washing each apple one by one before putting them in a large bowl. After each apple was washed, he glanced at Yeosang. "Are you going to help me cut them?" 

Yeosang let out a loud, dramatic sigh. "I'll cut one. _Maybe_ two." 

Seonghwa laughed. "You're going to have to do more than that." 

Seonghwa grabbed a cutting board and knife and placed them on the counter, then stepped out of the way. He started getting out more cutlery and various ingredients out of the counters. Yeosang stared at him dumbfounded as he grabbed a tiny bottle of cinnamon.  

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to start making the sauce. What are _you_ doing? You haven't even started on the first apple yet." 

Yeosang's jaw dropped. "I thought you were going to cut them with me!" 

"No. I will if there are still some left when I'm done, but I'm going to work on the sauce first. But don't worry. Even if you cut them up like a maniac, the rest of it will taste too good to notice your failure." 

Yeosang tried to dispute the situation, but there was no use. Seonghwa just ignored him and went about preparing the sauce, and Yeosang could do nothing but comply with his demands. After about fifteen minutes, the sauce and apples were all done, and Seonghwa took over, combining them into a large bowl and throwing in dashes of salt as he stirred. Yeosang stood back and marveled at how fluid his movements were. He seemed so focused. He had the same expression on his face as he did whenever they were on the battle scene together. He was thinking meticulously, truly putting his all into it, even though it was only pie. 

"Will you get the crust out of the fridge for me?" 

Yeosang startled, being pulled from his daydreaming. He only half-understood the request, but nevertheless went over to the fridge. He opened the door and was surprised to see a large lump of dough had already been prepared. He got it out and walked back over to Seonghwa and set it down beside him. 

"Thanks. I can do the rest by myself. I'm going to flatten out the crust and then add in the filling. Then I'll thin out the rest of the crust to use for the top. It might take a while, so you can go wait in the living room." 

Yeosang shook his head. "I'll stay here. I want to see how you do it." 

"Suit yourself." 

Yeosang leaned against the far wall and continued to watch as Seonghwa worked his magic. The time went by casually. They didn't speak, but it was comfortable, the sounds of Seonghwa's diligent work filling the air. Yeosang wasn't much of a cook himself and didn't care to do anything beyond making a simple sandwich, but he enjoyed watching Seonghwa. Something about it was relaxing and gave him a feeling of peace — a feeling he didn't get to experience often. He appreciated being able to feel this way around him. 

Finally, after cutting a simple design into the top layer of crust, the pie was ready to bake. Seonghwa slid it carefully into the oven and then set the timer for fifty minutes. The smell of apples and cinnamon had already begun filling the air, making Yeosang's mouth water. He had no idea how he was going to be able to wait for the pie to bake and then wait even _longer_ for it to cool. It'd been so long since he last had any sort of pie. He almost couldn't remember what it tasted like, to be honest, but judging by the smell, it was going to be _delicious_. 

"Help me wash the dishes." 

Yeosang groaned. "Aren't I your guest?" 

"You are. So?" 

"You shouldn't be making a guest do so much work."

"I gave you the chance to rest in the living room and you passed it up. That's your problem. Now, here." He handed him a dirty bowl. "Get to washing." 

Yeosang set to work on washing the dishes, but definitely pouted about it. He had been tricked again — Seonghwa wasn't helping with the dishes, instead he was putting away all the ingredients he had used for filling and cleaning up the counters. What a cunning guy. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice...

Cleaning up didn't take long. There were just under forty minutes left on the timer by the time they were done. Yeosang felt exhausted. Doing the dishes felt like more work than drawing up battle plans or completing physical training. Okay, maybe that's a bit dramatic, but it was his least favorite chore. He hated it even more than cutting up apples. 

"Let's go on a walk." 

Yeosang narrowed his eyes. "You want to go on a walk _now_?" 

Seonghwa shrugged. "Why not? It's a nice day out, and there's plenty of time left before the pie is ready." 

"It's over 90 degrees outside and your oven is on. Don't you care about your safety at all?" 

"Going on a walk won't increase the likelihood that my house will catch on fire. And we've been out in far worse weather conditions than this." 

"I'm pretty sure the risk increases when you don't notice fire until it's already gone out of control. And you're right, but we didn't have a choice. Why would you _choose_ this?"

"Because I want to go on a walk with my best friend for once without feeling like there's a chance it will be the last time I ever get to see him." 

Yeosang paused. "I'm... sorry. I feel that way too." 

"I know you do." Seonghwa smiled. "Let's enjoy the change. I want to know what it's like to not have to worry about what's going to happen to us. I want to know what it's like to just _be_ with you." 

Yeosang returned his smile. "I want to know too."

Seonghwa grabbed onto his hand. "Let's start now, then." 

He started pulling Yeosang toward the door. Yeosang shook his head and let out a small laugh, but followed him without protest. Seonghwa would always manage to get his way, no matter what it was about, but he didn't mind. Truth be told, he kind of liked it. And so they set out, head-first into the blazing hot sun. For once, not having to be afraid about what awaited them. The only thing they had to worry about was whether the pie would turn out okay. And knowing Seonghwa, it would probably turn out perfectly. 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea how this happened. This turned out completely different from what I had in mind XD. I hope this was somewhat enjoyable! I'll try to write the next chapter quickly. Not sure how many chapters there will be. The next might be the last, no idea! Thanks for reading! <3


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